System and method for call management

ABSTRACT

A system and method are provided in accordance with the various aspects of the invention that enhance the information regarding a caller and a call location. Such calls are typically sent to a dispatcher that handles urgent or emergency calls. The information provided can be in the form of a message that is includes specifics about the call initiator and the nature of and/or reason for the call; a message that is converted to verbal form from text-to-speech; and/or the message may include location information, especially as it relates to representing a wireless device as a landline location based on nearby communication options, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth beacons.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/448,610, filed Sep. 23, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/509,296, filed Jul. 11, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No.11,153,737, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/958,186, filed Apr. 20, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,425,799, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/436,484, filedFeb. 17, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,992,655, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/794,780 filed Jul. 8, 2015, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,838,858, which claims priority under 35 USC 119 from U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/021,709 filed on Jul. 8, 2014,titled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CALL MANAGEMENT, the entire disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to communication systems and, more particularly,but not exclusively, to a call handling and routing associated with anurgent or emergency call.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the explosive growth in mobile devices, many people are initiatingcall related to urgent or emergency services using a wireless device ormobile phone. As such, the information associated with the caller or thelocation of the caller needs to be accurately identified. Currentapproaches do not provide an accurate location or often fails to providesufficient information regarding the location. Therefore what is neededis a system and method that provides as much information as possibleabout a caller and the location of the caller to the emergency callhandler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and method are provided in accordance with the various aspectsof the invention that provide information regarding a caller and a calllocation to the urgent or emergency call handler, which call may bereferred to as a distress call. The foregoing is a summary and thuscontains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations and omissionsof detail. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary isillustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Theinventive techniques and concepts described herein apply to wirelesscommunications systems including the radio access systems of GSM, UMTS,LTE, LTE-Advanced, IEEE 802 (WiFi, WiMAN, WiMAX), Bluetooth, UWB andNFC.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description, isbetter understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.For the purpose of illustrating the various aspects and embodiments ofthe invention, the drawings shown exemplary constructions of the aspectsof the invention. However, the invention is not limited to the specificmethods and instrumentalities disclosed in the drawings, which are asfollows:

FIG. 1 shows a device within a wireless environment in accordance withthe various aspects and embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows functional elements of a device in accordance with thevarious aspects and embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a flow process that includes steps in initiating a call androuting the call in accordance with the various aspects and embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a flow process for delivering a message in accordance withthe various aspects and embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a flow process that includes steps in initiating a call androuting the call to simulating a landline in accordance with the variousaspects and embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a flow process that includes steps in initiating a call androuting the call to a call handler and a third party in accordance withthe various aspects and embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Illustrative embodiments as found in the various aspects of theinvention are disclosed with reference to the figures, wherein likenumerals refer to like features. Wireless devices have evolved in bothoperation and form-factors, converging the personal computer (PC) withthe cellular phone, pager, and other communications devices. Besidescommunications functions (e.g. Voice Telephony, Short-message-service(SMS), Multi-media Messaging Service (MMS), TCP/IP data connectivity)and upgraded general processing power, sensors have been added to thewireless device. For instance, a wireless device (e.g. a smartphone,feature phone, netbook, Personal Digital assistant (PDA), tabletcomputer or PC with wireless LAN capability) may include:

-   -   Camera/Video functions;    -   Location data (Satellite-based);    -   Location data (Mobile-based);    -   Location data (Network-based);    -   Motion data (e.g. compass, accelerometer);    -   Capacitive Sensors;    -   Address Book, Contacts lists, recent called/emailed data; and    -   Application specific sensing, reading and monitoring        capabilities.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , based on the various aspects of theinvention, illustrates a block diagram of a wireless device 10, whichmay also be a mobile telephone or a mobile terminal. It should beunderstood, however, that the wireless device 10, as illustrated andhereinafter described, is merely illustrative of one type of wirelessdevice and/or mobile device that would benefit from embodiments of theinvention and, therefore, should not be taken to limit the scope ofembodiments of the invention. While several aspects and embodiments ofthe wireless and mobile device are illustrated and will be hereinafterdescribed for purposes of example, other types of mobile terminals, suchas portable digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, mobile televisions,gaming devices, laptop computers, cameras, video recorders, audio/videoplayer, radio, GPS devices, or any combination of the aforementioned,and other types of voice and text communications systems, can readilyemploy aspects and embodiments of the invention.

The wireless device 10, as shown in FIG. 2 , includes a processor module200 and a memory module 202. Additionally, In accordance with someaspects of the invention, the wireless device 10 also includes a GPSmodule or chip 204 that is in communication with a GPS system orsatellite. In accordance with some further aspects of the invention, thewireless device 10 includes a Wi-Fi communication module 206 capable ofcommunicating with a nearby Wi-Fi access point or hotspot. In accordancewith further aspects of the invention, the wireless device 10 includes aBluetooth communication module 208 capable of initiating a Bluetoothcommunication session when a nearby Bluetooth beacon is detected. Inaccordance with aspects of the invention, the wireless device 10 alsoincludes a display or touch screen 210 that is in communication with theprocessor module 200.

In addition, while several embodiments of the method of the inventionare performed or used by a wireless device 10, the method may beemployed by other than a mobile terminal. Moreover, while the system andmethod of embodiments of the invention will be primarily described inconjunction with mobile communications applications, it will beappreciated by one skilled in the art that the system and method ofembodiments of the invention can be utilized in conjunction with avariety of other applications, both in the mobile communicationsindustries and outside of the mobile communications industries.

Referring again to FIG. 1 , the wireless device 10 includes an antenna12 (or multiple antennae) in operable connection or communication with atransmitter 14 and a receiver 16 in accordance with one aspect of theinvention. In accordance with other aspects of the invention, thetransmitter 14 and the receiver 16 may be part of a transceiver 15. Thewireless device 10 may further include an apparatus, such as acontroller 20 or other processing element, which provides signals to andreceives signals from the transmitter 14 and receiver 16, respectively.The signals include signaling information in accordance with the airinterface standard of the applicable cellular system, and also userspeech, received data and/or user generated data. In this regard, thewireless device 10 is capable of operating with one or more airinterface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, andaccess types.

Referring now to FIG. 3 a process of sending a message to an urgent oremergency call handler is shown. The process is initiated, in accordancewith some aspects of the invention, through a touch screen or display ofthe wireless device 10. The user initiates the process by pressing anicon or some specific location on the screen of the wireless device 10.The wireless device 10 sends a message, such as an SMS message, to adispatcher or call handler. The dispatcher may also receive a call thatis related to or associated with the message being delivered to the callhandler. The message sent to the dispatcher or call handler may includeinformation about the location of the caller.

For example, in accordance with the aspects of the invention, themessage includes the location of the wireless device 10 based on orrelative to a map. The dispatcher's system or computer runs anapplication or program that can receive the message, then the message isreceived by the dispatcher and the location of the wireless device 10 isshown on the map. Once the request from the wireless device 10 isinitiated, identify information about the caller is retrieved from thememory of the wireless device 10. Additional information, in accordancewith some aspects of the invention, including location and identity andcoordinates is sent to the dispatcher's system from the wireless device10. The call is initiated with the dispatcher and the dispatcher or callhandler receives that call as well as the location and identityinformation. In accordance with some aspects of the invention, thecaller's location is referenced with respect to a landmark or well knownaddress. For example, the location is in relation to another object suchas a landmark or address as “the caller is 100 feet north of the Statueof Liberty.” Thus, there are several aspects of the invention thatrelate to providing location information or locating the caller and thescope of the invention is not limited thereby.

As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, the information may besent, in accordance with the aspects of the invention, from the wirelessdevice 10 to a remote location that collects the information associatedwith the initiation of the message and the wireless device 10 and sendthat in the form of a message to the dispatcher's system.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , a process is shown for initiating a call. Thistime the message is delayed by an application running on the wirelessdevice 10 while the application on the wireless device 10 searches forlocation information based on nearby networks, such as Wi-Fi orBluetooth based networks, as well as GPS location information. Theapplication can then add the additional information, as outlined below,to the message in the form of information or an SMS message.

The additional information, in accordance with some aspects of theinvention, may include coordinates that are transformed into a localaddress via a database that is associated with the nearestWi-Fi/Bluetooth network's physical location. This will help provide ahigher degree of location information to the call handler. In accordancewith further aspects of the invention, the SMS that is sent may includeadditional information, including the nature or reason for the call. Inaccordance with some aspects of the invention, the additionalinformation includes specific information regarding the user. Forexample, the wireless devices 10 may have personal medical informationfor the caller, in the instance that the caller is the person in need ofa medical assistance. In accordance with other aspects, the wirelessdevice may include information—medical and non-medical—collected aboutthe person in need of medical assistance. For example, the wirelessdevice 10 may have captured a photo or a video—associated with theemergency situation or the location—that is provided as part of theadditional information. In accordance with additional aspects of theinvention the wireless device 10 can provide any other medicalinformation or identifying information to allow the responder to betterprepare for responding and easily locate or spot the message sender.

Referring now to FIG. 5 , in accordance with some aspects of theinvention, a call is initiated through the touch screen of the wirelessdevice 10 using a quick access simple tap or button selection. The callis delayed by the wireless device while the application on the devicesearches for location information based on nearby networks, such asWi-Fi or Bluetooth based networks, as well as GPS location information.The application adds the additional information, as outlined in FIG. 5 ,to the call details. The additional information, in accordance with someaspects of the invention, may include coordinates that are transformedinto a local address via a database that stores lookup information thatis associated with the nearest Wi-Fi/Bluetooth network's physicallocation. This additional information is provided to the call handlersuch that the call handler detects a call and can retrieve addressinformation that was written to the emergency database associated withthis call before the call was routed to the call handler.

Referring now to FIG. 6 , in accordance with some aspects of theinvention, a call is initiated through the touch screen of the wirelessdevice 10 using a tap or button selection features on the touch screenfor the purpose of initiating the call. In accordance with one aspect ofthe invention, the access button may be designed to initiate both anemergency call and a call to a location's private security. Inaccordance with other aspects and feature of the embodiments of theinvention, there may be provided separate call initiation features onthe touch screen that each provide a call to a respective call handler,with one being for 911 emergency call and the other being for a privatecall handler for help that does not rise to the level of 911emergencies, such as assistance with automobile failure or other similarforms of help.

Once the call is initiated, the application on the wireless device 10delays the call while the application on the wireless device 10 searchesfor location information based on nearby networks, such as Wi-Fi orBluetooth based networks, as well as GPS location information. Theapplication adds the additional information, as outlined in FIG. 5 , tothe call details. The additional information, in accordance with someaspects of the invention, may include coordinates that are transformedinto a local address via a database that stores lookup informationassociated with the nearest Wi-Fi/Bluetooth network's physical location.This additional information is provided to the call handler, such thatthe call handler detects a call and can retrieve address informationthat was written to the emergency database associated with this callbefore the call was routed to the call handler. The call handler mayreceive the information in text form, on a display, as a text-to-speechfile, or any other format that is required by the call handler. Once theinformation associated with the call is provided, the user is thenbridged onto the call with the dispatcher.

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, the call that isinitiated by the user at the touch screen may be routed to a remoteserver or location and any or all of the features performed at thewireless device 10, as outlined above, may be handled off the wirelessdevice 10 by the remote location. Thus, when a request is received viauser input on the touchscreen of the wireless device 10, this initiatesthe processor to look up in memory what to execute. The application andthe user setting, in accordance with the various aspects of theinvention, determine if the executed software application initiates theprocess of determining the smartphone's location or if that function ispassed on to a remote server or location. For example, in accordancewith one aspect of the invention, the GPS chipset 204 approximatesposition by continuously receiving the signal of the nearest satellitesand then comparing signal strength. This provides initial latitude andlongitudinal coordinates of the wireless device 10. In accordance withfurther aspects of the invention, the latitude and longitudinalcoordinates are refined as the Wi-Fi radio processes the broadcastsignal of the nearest access points. By comparing the relative strengthof the nearby access point's signals to the known location of the accesspoints, via software, a more accurate position is obtained. This furtherrefines the given latitude and longitude coordinates.

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, if there is anearby Bluetooth beacon, which is uniquely registered to a specificlocation or address, then that location is used to further enhance thelocation information for the initiated call and it is sent to the callhandlers or emergency responders. If not, the Wi-Fi refined longitudeand latitude GPS components are referenced against a database via anapplication programming interface to produce an identifiable address(reverse geo-coding).

Referring again to FIG. 4 , in accordance with the various aspects ofthe invention, the address, either from the Bluetooth network or Wi-Firefined GPS lookup, is then added to or inserted, by the software, intoa programmatically created short message (SMS) along with user's nameand a standard message. This programmatically created SMS is then sentto 911, dispatcher, call handler, and/or the emergency services, unlessthe user cancels the alert during the built in delay timer.

By way of illustration, the wireless device 10 is capable of operatingin accordance with any of a number of first, second, third and/orfourth-generation communication protocols or the like. For example, thewireless device 10 may be capable of operating in accordance withsecond-generation (2G) wireless communication protocols IS-136 (timedivision multiple access (TDMA)), GSM (global system for mobilecommunication), and IS-95 (code division multiple access (CDMA)), orwith third-generation (3G) wireless communication protocols, such asUniversal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA2000, widebandCDMA (WCDMA) and time division-synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), withfourth-generation (4G) wireless communication protocols or the like.

As an alternative (or additionally), the wireless device 10 may becapable of operating in accordance with non-cellular communicationmechanisms. For example, the wireless device 10 may be capable ofcommunication in a wireless local area network (WLAN) or othercommunication networks. The wireless device 10 can also have multiplenetworking capabilities including nomadic wired tethering,local-area-network transceivers (e.g. IEEE802 Wi-Fi), wide-area-networktransceivers (IEEE 802.16 WiMAN/WiMAX, cellular data transceivers, (e.g.LTE) and short-range, data-only wireless protocols such asUltra-wide-band (UWB), Bluetooth, RFID, Near-field-communications (NFC),etc.

A single site location based on the geographic location of the wirelessnetwork transmission antenna and the beacon ID (e.g. BTS ID, Cell ID,SSID) may be developed either by the wireless device 10, the remotelocation or the network; use of timing information of the signal pathbetween the wireless device 10 and network may allow enhancement of thesingle site location. Using several beacon identities and power levelspotentially may increase accuracy over a single site location using apower-difference-of-arrival technique.

Databases of beacon identifiers, beacon power levels, and networktransmitter geographical locations may be uploaded to the wirelessdevice 10 allowing for use of the aforementioned techniques using justthe passive receiver(s) of the wireless device 10. A transmission (orseries of transmissions) from the wireless device 10 is enough tolocalize a transmitter. An interaction of the wireless device 10 withthe network where identifiers either physical (e.g. Electronic SerialNumber, Media Access Control (MAC) address); or virtual (e.g. TemporaryMobile Station Identifier (TMSI) or IP address) can allow bothlocalization and identification of the wireless device 10.

Referring again to FIG. 1 and now to FIG. 2 , in accordance with theaspects of the invention, an exemplary instance of a system is shown. Itis understood that the apparatus, such as the controller 20, may includecircuitry desirable for implementing audio and logic functions of thewireless device 10. For example, the controller 20 may include a digitalsignal processor device, a microprocessor device, and various analog todigital converters, digital to analog converters, and other supportcircuits including digital signal processors. Control and signalprocessing functions of the wireless device 10 are allocated betweenthese devices according to their respective capabilities and design. Thecontroller 20 may also include the functionality to convolutionallyencode and interleave message and data prior to modulation andtransmission. The controller 20 can additionally include an internalvoice coder, and may include an internal data modem. Further, thecontroller 20 may include functionality to operate one or more softwareprograms, which may be stored in memory. For example, the controller 20may be capable of operating a connectivity program, such as aconventional Web browser. The connectivity program may then allow thewireless device 10 to transmit and receive Web content, such aslocation-based content and/or other web page content, according to aWireless Application Protocol (WAP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)and/or the like, for example.

The wireless device 10 may also comprise a user interface including anoutput device such as a conventional earphone or speaker 24, a ringer22, a microphone 26, a display or touch screen 28, and a user inputinterface, all of which are coupled to the controller 20. The user inputinterface, which allows the wireless device 10 to receive data, mayinclude any of a number of devices allowing the wireless device 10 toreceive data, such as a keypad 30, a touch display (not shown) or otherinput device. In embodiments including the keypad 30, the keypad 30 mayinclude the conventional numeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), andother hard and soft keys used for operating the wireless device 10.Alternatively, the keypad 30 may include a conventional QWERTY keypadarrangement. The keypad 30 may also include various soft keys withassociated functions. In addition, or alternatively, the wireless device10 may include an interface device such as a joystick or other userinput interface. The wireless device 10 further includes a battery 34,such as a vibrating battery pack, for powering various circuits that arerequired to operate the wireless device 10, as well as optionallyproviding mechanical vibration as a detectable output.

The wireless device 10 may further include a user identity module (UIM)42. The UIM 42 is typically a memory device having a processor built in.The UIM 42 may include, for example, a subscriber identity module (SIM),a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), a universal subscriberidentity module (USIM), a removable user identity module (R-UIM), etc.The UIM 42 typically stores information elements related to a mobilesubscriber. In addition to the UIM 42, the wireless device 10 may beequipped with memory. For example, the wireless device 10 may includevolatile memory 40, such as volatile Random Access Memory (RAM)including a cache area for the temporary storage of data. The wirelessdevice 10 may also include other non-volatile memory 38, which can beembedded and/or may be removable. The non-volatile memory 38 canadditionally or alternatively comprise an electrically erasableprogrammable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or the like. Thememories can store any of a number of pieces of information, and data,used by the wireless device 10 to implement the functions of thewireless device 10. For example, the memories can include an identifier,such as an international mobile equipment identification (IMEI) code,capable of uniquely identifying the wireless device 10. Furthermore, thememories may store instructions for determining cell id information.Specifically, the memories may store an application program forexecution by the controller 20, which determines an identity of thecurrent cell, i.e., cell id identity or cell id information, with whichthe wireless device 10 is in communication.

Although not every element of every possible mobile network is shown anddescribed herein, it should be appreciated that the wireless device 10may be coupled to one or more of any of a number of different networksthrough a base station (not shown). In this regard, the network(s) maybe capable of supporting communication in accordance with any one ormore of a number of first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G,third-generation (3G), 3.9G, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communicationprotocols or the like. For example, one or more of the network(s) can becapable of supporting communication in accordance with 2G wirelesscommunication protocols IS-136 (TDMA), GSM, and IS-95 (CDMA). Also, forexample, one or more of the network(s) can be capable of supportingcommunication in accordance with 2.5G wireless communication protocolsGPRS, Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), or the like. Further, forexample, one or more of the network(s) can be capable of supportingcommunication in accordance with 3G wireless communication protocolssuch as a UMTS network employing WCDMA radio access technology. Somenarrow-band analog mobile phone service (NAMPS), as well as total accesscommunication system (TACS), network(s) may also benefit fromembodiments of the invention, as should dual or higher mode mobilestations (e.g., digital/analog or TDMA/CDMA/analog phones).

The wireless device 10 can further be coupled to one or more wirelessaccess points (APs) (not shown). The APs may comprise access pointsconfigured to communicate with the wireless device 10 in accordance withtechniques such as, for example, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IrDA)or any of a number of different wireless networking techniques,including WLAN techniques such as IEEE 802.11 (e.g., 802.11a, 802.11b,802.11g, 802.11n, etc.), world interoperability for microwave access(WiMAX) techniques such as IEEE 802.16, and/or wireless Personal AreaNetwork (WPAN) techniques such as IEEE 802.15, BlueTooth (BT), ultrawideband (UWB) and/or the like. The APs may be coupled to the Internet(not shown). The APs can be directly coupled to the Internet. Inaccordance with other aspects of the invention, the APs are indirectlycoupled to the Internet. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the BS may beconsidered as another AP. As will be appreciated, by directly orindirectly connecting the wireless devices 10 to the Internet, thewireless device 10 can communicate with other devices, a computingsystem, etc., to thereby carry out various functions of the wirelessdevice 10, such as to transmit data, content or the like to, and/orreceive content, data or the like from other devices. As used herein,the terms “data,” “content,” “information” and similar terms may be usedinterchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, receivedand/or stored in accordance with the various aspects and embodiments ofthe invention. Thus, use of any such terms should not be taken to limitthe spirit and scope of embodiments of the invention.

Although not shown, the wireless device 10 may communicate in accordancewith, for example, RF, BT, IrDA or any of a number of different wirelineor wireless communication techniques, including LAN, WLAN, WiMAX, UWBtechniques and/or the like. One or more of the computing systems thatare in communication with the wireless device 10 can additionally, oralternatively, include a removable memory capable of storing content,which can thereafter be transferred to the wireless device 10. Further,the wireless device 10 can be coupled to one or more electronic devices,such as displays, printers, digital projectors and/or other multimediacapturing, producing and/or storing devices (e.g., other terminals).Furthermore, it should be understood that embodiments of the inventionmay be resident on a communication device such as the wireless device10, or may be resident on a network device or other device accessible tothe wireless device 10.

In accordance with the various aspects of the invention, the wirelessdevice 10 includes on board location systems. While the on-boardlocation systems (e.g. Global-Navigation-Satellite-System Receivers(GNSS)) may be used to develop a location estimate for the wirelessdevice 10, the location of a wireless device 10 may be determined fromthe interaction (i.e. radio messaging) between the wires device 10 andthe network (e.g. cellular system, WiMAN, WiMAX, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC).

The true scope the invention is not limited to the various aspects ofthe invention or presently preferred embodiments disclosed herein andindeed could be applied to any reprogrammable remote sensing or othercomputing device with a wireless communications facility. For example,the foregoing disclosure of a presently preferred embodiment of theIntelligent Access Control System uses explanatory terms, such as mobiledevice, cellular system and wireless local area network and the like,which should not be construed so as to limit the scope of protection ofthe following claims, or to otherwise imply that the inventive aspectsof the intelligent access control system are limited to the particularmethods and apparatus disclosed. Moreover, as will be understood bythose skilled in the art, many of the inventive aspects disclosed hereinare based on software applications and operating systems running ongeneric hardware processing platforms. These functional entities are, inessence, programmable data collection, analysis, and storage devicesthat could take a variety of forms without departing from the inventiveconcepts disclosed herein. In many cases, the place of implementation(i.e., the functional element) described herein is merely a designer'spreference and not a hard requirement. Accordingly, except as they maybe expressly so limited, the scope of protection of the following claimsis not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments describedabove.

It is noted that, as used in this description, the singular forms “a,”“an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Reference throughout this specification to “oneaspect,” “another aspect,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “certainembodiment,” or similar language means that a particular aspect,feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention.Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in at least oneembodiment,” “in an embodiment,” “in certain embodiments,” and similarlanguage throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, allrefer to the same embodiment.

It will be apparent that various aspects of the invention as related tocertain embodiments may be implemented in software, hardware,application logic, or a combination of software, hardware, andapplication logic. The software, application logic and/or hardware mayreside on a server, an electronic device, or be a service. If desired,part of the software, application logic and/or hardware may reside on anelectronic device and part of the software, application logic and/orhardware may reside on a remote location, such as server.

In accordance with the teaching of the invention and certainembodiments, a program or code may be noted as running on a computingdevice. A computing device is an article of manufacture. Examples of anarticle of manufacture include: a server, a mainframe computer, a mobiletelephone, a multimedia-enabled smartphone, a tablet computer, apersonal digital assistant, a personal computer, a laptop, or otherspecial purpose computer each having one or more processors (e.g., aCentral Processing Unit, a Graphical Processing Unit, or amicroprocessor) that is configured to execute a computer readableprogram code (e.g., an algorithm, hardware, firmware, and/or software)to receive data, transmit data, store data, or perform methods. Thearticle of manufacture (e.g., computing device) includes anon-transitory computer readable medium having a series of instructions,such as computer readable program steps encoded therein. In certainembodiments, the non-transitory computer readable medium includes one ormore data repositories. The non-transitory computer readable mediumincludes corresponding computer readable program code and may includeone or more data repositories. Processors access the computer readableprogram code encoded on the corresponding non-transitory computerreadable mediums and execute one or more corresponding instructions.

Other hardware and software components and structures are alsocontemplated. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientificterms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ofordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although anymethods and materials similar or equivalent to those described hereincan also be used in the practice or testing of the invention,representative illustrative methods and materials are now described.

All publications and patents cited in this specification are hereinincorporated by reference as if each individual publication or patentwere specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated byreference and are incorporated herein by reference to disclose anddescribe the methods and/or system in connection with which thepublications are cited. The citation of any publication is for itsdisclosure prior to the filing date and should not be construed as anadmission that the invention is not entitled to antedate suchpublication by virtue of prior invention. Further, the dates ofpublication provided may be different from the actual publication dateswhich may need to be independently confirmed.

All statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments ofthe invention as well as specific examples thereof, are intended toencompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future,i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardlessof structure. The scope of the invention, therefore, is not intended tobe limited to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein.Rather, the scope and spirit of invention is embodied by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A server system in operative communication with anetwork and comprising one or more processors configured to: detect arequest, initiated at a computing device in operative communication withthe network, to contact emergency services; receive identity informationand a location associated with the computing device; generate a messagecomprising the identity information and the location associated with thecomputing device; and transmit the message comprising the identityinformation and the location associated with the computing device to anemergency call handler that receives a call related to the message. 2.The server system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors arefurther configured to receive the location associated with the computingdevice from the computing device.
 3. The server system of claim 1,wherein the one or more processors are further configured to detectinitiation of the call related to the message and received by theemergency call handler.
 4. The server system of claim 3, wherein the oneor more processors are further configured to detect initiation of thecall related to the message and received by the emergency call handlerbefore transmitting the message comprising the identity information andthe location associated with the computing device to the emergency callhandler.
 5. The server system of claim 1, wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to transmit the message comprising theidentity information and the location associated with the computingdevice to an application, executed on a computer associated with theemergency call handler, that can receive the message.
 6. The serversystem of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are furtherconfigured to transmit the message comprising the identity informationand the location associated with the computing device to the emergencycall handler in a text message form.
 7. The server system of claim 1,wherein the one or more processors are further configured to reversegeocode the location associated with the computing device to produce anidentifiable address and include the identifiable address in the messagetransmitted to the emergency call handler.
 8. The server system of claim1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to gathermedical information associated with a user of the computing device andinclude the medical information associated with the user of thecomputing device in the message transmitted to the emergency callhandler.
 9. The server system of claim 1, wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to determine the emergency callhandler as appropriate to receive the message comprising the identityinformation and the location associated with the computing device basedat least in part on the location associated with the computing device.10. The server system of claim 1, wherein the request to contactemergency services is initiated through a user interface of thecomputing device.
 11. A method for contacting emergency services, themethod comprising: detecting a request, initiated at a computing devicein operative communication with a network, to contact emergencyservices; receiving, at a server system in operative communication withthe network, identity information and a location associated with thecomputing device; generating, at the server system, a message comprisingthe identity information and the location associated with the computingdevice; and transmitting, from the server system, the message comprisingthe identity information and the location associated with the computingdevice to an emergency call handler that receives a call related to themessage.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving thelocation associated with the computing device from the computing device.13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: detecting initiation ofthe call related to the message and received by the emergency callhandler.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: detectinginitiation of the call related to the message and received by theemergency call handler before transmitting the message comprising theidentity information and the location associated with the computingdevice to the emergency call handler.
 15. The method of claim 11,further comprising: transmitting the message comprising the identityinformation and the location associated with the computing device to anapplication executed on a computer associated with the emergency callhandler, that can receive the message.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising: transmitting the message comprising the identityinformation and the location associated with the computing device to theemergency call handler in a text message form.
 17. The method of claim11, further comprising: reverse geocoding the location associated withthe computing device to produce an identifiable address; and includingthe identifiable address in the message transmitted to the emergencycall handler.
 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising: gatheringmedical information associated with a user of the computing device; andincluding the medical information associated with the user of thecomputing device in the message transmitted to the emergency callhandler.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining theemergency call handler as appropriate to receive the message comprisingthe identity information and the location associated with the computingdevice based at least in part on the location associated with thecomputing device.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the request tocontact emergency services is initiated through a user interface of thecomputing device.